Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire

My guest today is Ross Pederson. Ross is a gifted drummer, producer, composer and arranger. Ross has been described as: “an explosive, yet sensitive, dynamic and compelling voice on the drum set”, which also fits his personality...except for maybe the explosive part! He shares his early musical influences from his parents, his Mom was a piano teacher, his Dad taught him to play trumpet at 5 years old, the lure of his older brother’s drum set, and the incredible experiences he had at UNT, playing with the One O’Clock Lab Band. Ross has lived in NYC, for the past 9 years, performed and/or toured with Lew Soloff, Kenny Werner, Patti Austin, Chris Potter, Jean Michele Pilc, Francois Mouton, Richard Bona, Rufus Reid, Mark Egan, Oz Noy, Marc Johnson, Patricia Barber, The Manhattan Transfer, and Grace Kelly, to name a few. I am blessed to have Ross as my son-in-law, and in our conversation, I encouraged him to share the sweet, romantic story of his first date with my daughter, Julia. Ross has traveled the world, has been dedicated and disciplined about fitness, nutrition and health, and wholeheartedly, enthusiastically says YES to life! Enjoy the podcast! Links: RPG Live at the 55 Bar, NYC: (3 Songs) Bedlam   Hope   Anxiety FaceBook Instagram Twitter

My guest today is Berthilde Dufrene, nurse, administrator, published author and inspiring leader. I first learned of Berthilde, through her relief work in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Her mission trip experiences provide a window into this dedicated, courageous woman. Berthilde founded the Haitian American Nurses Association (also known as HANA) of Rockland County which orchestrated much needed humanitarian and medical relief trips. Under Berthilde’s leadership, HANA shifted focus from recovery to sustainability. They adopted a National Nursing School in Haiti and passionately work on raising funds for their Nursing Student Scholarship Program. Please check the show notes to links for HANA of Rockland to see how you can support this important endeavor. Initially Berthilde had 10 years of business experience with IBM before changing careers into nursing - a career that felt so right for that she continued her studies, earning her associates, bachelors, and masters in nursing, and impressively has found time to complete her coursework for her doctorate in nursing at Fairleigh Dickinson, as she is currently working on completing her dissertation. Berthilde is now the Chief Officer for New York State Office of Mental Health Corrections Based Operations. She bravely addresses the foundational conflicts of values between the prison system and the mental health system. I am grateful that such a thoughtful woman of integrity is willing to face these challenges as she does her share to impact positive transformation in both our healthcare system and the prison system. Enjoy the podcast! Links: HANA 10th anniversary scholarship award and fundraising event Many Hands - film by Susanna Styron  FaceBook: Berthilde Dufrene Twitter: @hanafounder International Association of Women (IAW) NextGen - educates, inspires and promotes innovation and positive growth for government

Carlo Pellegrini, also known as Mr. Amazing, is the only person that I have met that actually ran away to join the circus! Carlo is a circus performer, educator, and co-director of Amazing Grace Circus, who also had a career as a modern dancer. Carlo grew up in San Jose, CA and credits his education with the Jesuits as helping him question authority, develop leadership skills and think differently. Carlo tells of his lure to the circus and the eye-opening, colorful story of his year on the road with the world’s smallest circus, from the world’s smallest country, performed by the smallest minds: The Royal Liechtenstein Quarter Ring Sidewalk Circus! Carlo also performed and toured the world with the innovative modern dance company: Nikolais Dance Theater. Carlo doesn’t mention it in this conversation but he also was the Ring Master for the Big Apple Circus back in the 1980s. Carlo’s thoughtful reflection on his Dad’s death, specifically his Dad’s murder, and his journey of healing, is very moving. In episode # 16, you may recall my conversation with aerialist, Hilary Sweeney, she is Carlo’s wife, and they both share openly of their unlikely marriage, due to their 28 year age difference, yet, they have found true love. The Amazing Grace Circus Summer Camp starts June 25th, for more information, see the link below to their website. Good news for Amazon Alexa users, you can now listen to my podcast using Alexa! Here are 2 simple steps to set it up: Say “Alexa, enable Enlighten podcast” Say “Alexa, play Enlighten podcast” Special thanks to Rob at Libsyn’s “The Feed” for help in setting up this new Alexa skill :) Enjoy the podcast!   Links: Amazing Grace Circus FaceBook Twitter Instagram Circus Coming This Summer The Royal Liechtenstein Quarter Ring Sidewalk Circus Libsyn “The Feed”

Toney Earl, Jr. is the executive director and co-founder of MADE-Transitional Services, the non-profit agency to provide opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals to transform their lives. Through job readiness, job placement and life skills training, MADE promotes personal responsibility, healthy relationships and support for the participants to make a positive contribution to society. Toney is a genuine, dynamic spokesperson addressing  at-risk youth, business owners in the private and non-profit sectors, academia, and policy makers. He speaks about mass incarceration, social justice and restorative justice, while helping to develop innovative solutions to expand workforce inclusion for formerly incarcerated men and women. Toney’s devotion to the people he serves and the challenges he faces is driven by his own personal experience of incarceration and a promise he made to God and himself to work twice as hard in doing right as he had done wrong. The first guest on my podcast back in January, was Tarik Greene, Toney’s business partner, if you haven’t already, listen to episode #2. On the day my podcast was launched, my husband and I organized a Benefit Concert in Brooklyn, thanks to my daughter, Julia and her amazing circle of musician friends, to raise funds for Toney and Tarik’s MADE-Transitional Services. It was so successful that we are hosting another Benefit Concert in June. For those who would like to make a donation to this worthy organization, please visit their website www.made-transitions.org Links: Fair Chance Hiring FaceBook Instagram Website: MADE-Transitions.org

Estefania Ochoa is an entrepreneur, innovative event planner and a radiant soul! She and I met last month and had an immediate soulful connection, sharing values, life philosophy and our dreams to make a difference in the world; Estefania is my new kindred spirit! She has started her own magazine SOYYO (translated from Spanish “I am me”) which is the answer she eventually gave to people’s discomfort with her ethnic ambiguity, constantly asking “what are you?” With SOYYO, Estefania taps into various artistic communities (art, music, and fashion) to promote a culture of self expression, while focused on sustainable development. Estefania’s teen parents raised her in California, but by the time she was 17, her family moved back to Mexico, challenging Estefania to tap inner resources to develop independence and resiliency. Honoring and supporting artists, Estefania is determined to create community, while grounded in humility and gratitude. She brings a mindfulness to life, discovering the lessons in mistakes, and embracing a rare balance of grace and courage.

Links: www.soyyomag.com

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